The Friendly Ghost (1945)
aka Casper: The Friendly Ghost
Article 5613 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 12-27-2018
Directed by Izzy Sparber
Featuring the voices of Frank Gallop, Jack Mercer, Mae Questel
Country: USA
What it is: Casper cartoon

Casper doesn’t want to scare people; he wants to make friends. But will people accept him even if he’s a ghost?

Oh, there’s a few laughs to be had here, usually involving the reactions of several characters to meeting a ghost. But let’s face it; some of these Casper cartoons are primarily tear-jerkers. As such, they can get pretty dark; even though we know he can’t be hurt, it is still pretty troubling to have the hero of your cartoon story attempt suicide. I remember seeing some of these as a kid, but I don’t remember how I felt about them. Nowadays I have to admit I don’t like them that much; they’re just a little too depressing, and the surrounding attempts at humor don’t sit well with me. And, of course, I’ll probably be covering a lot of them, because he is a ghost, after all.